Monday, 9 February 2015

Full Coverage Foundation Routine

After battling with acne since my early teens, I've slowly began to realise which products suit my skin type best. Since my skin is oily and acne prone, I've always opted for foundations/BB creams for oily/combination skin. However, I realised one main ingredient found in 'acne-prone' foundations is 'salycylic acid', which my skin has not reacted to well at all in the past!

I've stuck by oil-free BB and CC creams over the years as I thought they were my only option. Most heavier coverage foundations I came across almost always contained salicylic acid.

Throughout my Roaccutane treatment back in 2013, my dermatologist encouraged me to use a mineral foundation to cover my blemishes. Mineral foundation? A powder to cover spots? I never thought for a million years a powder-based makeup would cover all my imperfections. But - I was wrong!

After a bit of researching and a few recommendations of products from twitter followers, I've finally come up with a full coverage foundation routine that is friendly to my sensitive skin and I'm absolutely delighted with the results!

No makeup vs foundation

I currently do not have any active breakouts on my face. My skin is very oily and I have a lot of acne scars from previous breakouts (as you can see in the left image). For me, a perfect foundation is one that is oil-free, contains SPF and does not contain salicylic acid.

The foundation routine I have fallen in love with consists of five products (clockwise from the left):

First, I apply some of my Nivea Oil Free moisturiser as a base. I find this product really helps hydrate my skin without it feeling greasy. It also absorbs into my skin really quickly so I don't have to wait for it to dry for too long before I move onto the next step.

I then apply some of my L'Oreal True Match Concealer to any problem areas. Primarily, these are my under eye circles, redness around my nose and any hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and around my mouth. I use my finger to dab the product into my skin. For any sensitive areas and places where I don't want to rub the concealer in too much, I'll use my ring-finger to do this as it has the lightest touch.

I love this concealer. I find the yellow tone really helps cancel out all my red areas and completely camouflage any breakouts. I have read this product is oil-free so it would be perfect for anyone who has acne prone skin.

The only problem I find is that the range of shades L'Oréal had on their stand was a little disappointing. There were only three shades of this concealer in my local Boots and I find the lightest shade (Vanilla) is a shade too dark for my skin. I just have to be careful not to apply too much, otherwise it can look a little orange!

Finally, I apply my L'Oréal Paris True Match Foundation all over my face, concentrating it mainly on my cheeks to cover any imperfections. I love this foundation as it looks so natural used on its own, or can be part of a full-coverage makeup routine applying concealer underneath. When I'm feeling lazy, I'll sometimes just wear this foundation alone without anything underneath. I can always add another layer for more coverage.

I'm not particularly a huge fan of the brush that came with the foundation, so I tend to use my Real Techniques Multi Task Brush to apply the product in dabbing motions.

To complete the look, I dust over my makeup with some Rimmel London Stay Matte powder. This helps my makeup stay in place all day and prevents any oiliness from creeping through during the day.

This is the finished look!

Let me know if you've tried any of the products I've mentioned in this post. I'd also love to hear what your current foundation routine consists of in the comments!

yassss love that you used drugstore products, check out some of my favorite drugstore products for a full coverage look :)http://www.tiffanyalesha.com/tiffany-alesha/how-to-get-a-flawless-full-coverage-using-drugstore-products-cover-acne-hyperpigmentation

Your look amazing and your skin looks perfect and hydrated. I recently had the skin peel treatment from cosmedocs clinic which has improved my acne but I still have some red marks left so this mineral foundation looks a definite go for!